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14th April 2012
11:39am BST
Former Turkish soccer star, and World Cup goalscorer, Ilhan Mansiz is now a figure skater headed for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
As changes of sporting career go, we haven’t heard a better one than this in a very long time. According to a report in the Guardian, Ilhan Mansiz has made very good use of his time since he retired from football in 2006.
After playing 21 times for Turkey, including a starring role in their incredible 2002 World Cup run (he scored the winner in the quarter-final against Senegal), Mansiz was forced to retire aged just 32 after a car accident in Germany.
But now, aged 37, his sporting career is back on track, or ice to be more precise. Mansiz appeared on Turkish show Buzda Dans (Dancing on Ice in Turkish), fell for his partner on the show, pro skater Olga Bestandigova and now the pair are trying to qualify for the Sochi Winter Olympics next year.
It won’t be easy for the pair, as Mansiz explains.
"There are two ways to qualify for Sochi. First is in March during the world championships, which we are not taking part in. Sixteen couples can qualify there and four more spots will be won in September at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf. We are planning to compete there to be one of the four best non-qualified pairs."
We wish him well and we know Mansiz has skills. He did this to Roberto Carlos back in 2002 at the World Cup.
If he does it Mansz would be the first person to play in a World Cup and appear in a Winter Olympics.
